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Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy.

A program that prepares individuals for the independent professional practice of osteopathic medicine, involving a combination of medical principles and procedures and osteopathic principles of holistic medicine and the relationship of the musculoskeletal system to general health. Includes instruction in the basic medical sciences, preventive medicine, family and community medicine, medical informatics, disease systems, organ and physiologic systems, osteopathic principles and practice, osteopathic manipulative treatment, musculoskeletal and skin systems, clinical specialty rotations, medical ethics, and professional standards and practice management. Examples: [Osteopathy], [Osteopathic Medicine (DO)]

Types of Degrees Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. Majors Are Earning

Those studying Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Doctor’s Degree	8,465

What Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. Majors Need to Know

Programs in Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.7 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.7 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Epic Systems	Medical software	✓
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR	Medical software	—
Greenway Medical Technologies PrimeSUITE	Medical software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates include:

• Physician
• DO Physician (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Physician)
• Medical Doctor (MD)
• Doctor
• MD (Medical Doctor)
• Hospitalist Physician
• Pediatric Hospitalist
• Trauma Doctor
• Pediatric Hospitalist Physician
• Hospitalist
• Intensivist
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician
• Surgeon
• Urologist
• Ophthalmologist

What Can You Do With a Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Hospitalists	0.8%	$114,577	$92,706–$136,447
Pediatricians, General	-1.8%	$69,310	$56,422–$82,197
Urologists	0.5%	$119,720	$95,790–$143,650
General Internal Medicine Physicians	4.7%	$106,490	$86,605–$126,375
Cardiologists	3.8%	$114,867	$94,973–$134,760
Anesthesiologists	10.1%	$78,195	$63,504–$92,887
Obstetricians and Gynecologists	11.0%	$157,243	$126,700–$187,786
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	5.2%	$90,102	$73,239–$106,966
Physicians, Pathologists	-4.7%	$120,724	$96,336–$145,113
Emergency Medicine Physicians	-2.4%	$59,902	$49,741–$70,062
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians	14.6%	$117,397	$92,691–$142,104
Surgeons, All Other	1.8%	$56,955	$48,588–$65,321

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Post-doctoral training	58.6%
Doctoral degree	33.5%
First professional degree	3.4%
Master’s degree	1.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%
Bachelor’s degree	0.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%
Some college courses	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy.?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 52.2% women and 47.8% men among Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,416	52.2%
Men	4,049	47.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4,824	57.0%
Asian	2,096	24.8%
Hispanic or Latino	576	6.8%
Black or African American	304	3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	29	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	22	0.3%
Two or More Races	338	4.0%
Race Unknown	163	1.9%
International Students	113	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$65,021
4 years	$106,601
5 years	$171,848

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $171,848 — roughly 164% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy. graduates earn a median of $106,601 four years after completion — roughly 181% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Medicine	29,737
Medicine	20,703
Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry	569
Medicine, Other	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.